New Castle News
NEW CASTLE —
Necessity — so they say — is the mother of invention.
That helps to explain a recent spate of reports that school districts in Lawrence County are exploring the possibilities of merging with each other.
Plans for tax increases this year met with public resistance at a time when the economy is in poor shape. Where property owners might tolerate tax hikes in better times, there’s little sympathy for higher levies when jobs are lost or employment is uncertain.
Public opposition to increased spending thus becomes a driving force, as school districts are obliged to pursue other options.
And one of those options, it seems, is to consider mergers.
Combining school districts at this stage is hardly a sure thing. As we have written previously, the blending of districts is a complicated process that requires an analysis of finances, buildings, transportation and other factors.
And, inevitably, any move along these lines will meet resistance from those who oppose change of any sort. School loyalties — including support for specific sports teams — can come into play, as emotion clashes with other realities.
But school districts do not exist for athletic competition or to otherwise create a sense of identity. They exist to educate students. The goal is to accomplish that task in as thorough and cost-effective manner as possible.
Those who believe that merging local school districts offers the potential for long-term benefits (we include ourself in that group) need to be aware of the natural resistance to these efforts that exists.
This resistance is likely to grow as the notion of mergers moves from the talking to studying phase. It’s always possible to find reasons to oppose a new idea. Responsible people know the benefits of weighing both the advantages and disadvantages of change.
Talk of school district mergers should not be viewed as a short-term distraction to the financial problems school districts face. Those problems will persist into the future and must be addressed.
Not only are personnel costs continuing to rise — with pension expenses making them worse — but many districts are wrestling with declining student enrollments at the same time they are trying to justify tax increases.
We acknowledge that the merger of school districts is an ambitious undertaking, fraught with uncertainties.
But that’s no reason to oppose such efforts. Instead, it’s a good reason to get the ball rolling as soon as possible, as a means of ensuring quality and fiscally responsible education in Lawrence County.
